Snyder to veto religious freedom bill sans LGBT protection

LANSING – With the national furor swirling around Indiana’s recent decision, Gov. Rick Snyder said Thursday that he will veto a Religious Freedom Restoration Act bill if it makes it to his desk.

“Given all the events that are happening in Indiana, I thought it would be good to clarify my position,” he said in an interview with the Free Press. “I would veto RFRA legislation in Michigan if it is a standalone piece of legislation.”

The statement was a highly unusual one from a Governor who has avoided such definitive positions. When he has been confronted with legislation he doesn’t particularly like, he has said it’s not on his agenda or that he’s focused on issues of economic importance to the state.

But a week of national outrage over Indiana’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act, signed by Gov. Mike Pence on Friday, prompted the rare pronouncement from Snyder.

“I thought it was appropriate to clarify my position,” he said. “There are strong feelings on these issues. We’re working hard to see if there is a better way to address religious freedom and equality.”

Snyder reiterated his belief that a RFRA bill should not pass without an accompanying bill that would expand the state’s Elliott Larsen Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination in housing and hiring, to the LGBT community. He said he believes there needs to be two separate bills, not one RFRA bill that might include language that would prohibit discrimination against the LGBT community.

The decision to address RFRA comes after Indiana endured nearly a week of national derision for the religious freedom bill signed by Pence.

Businesses, corporations and organizations decried the law as a license to discriminate against the LGBT community and said the law was making them question whether they should do business in the Midwest state. Supporters said it was an important tool for religious people and businesses and that tolerance should be a two-way street.

By Thursday, Republican lawmakers in Indiana had crafted a new bill that would ensure that the bill did not allow businesses to refuse to provide services to the LGBT community based on a religious objection.

Michigan has three religious freedom bills in the hopper, including: a broad Religious Freedom Restoration Act bill that would give businesses a religious object defense if the state or an agency of the state came after them for asserting that religious belief; allowing faith-based adoption agencies from doing adoptions for people, like same sex or unmarried couples, that violate their religious beliefs; and allowing medical personnel and hospitals to withhold services that violate their religious beliefs.

The adoption bills have passed the state House and are awaiting a hearing in the Senate. The two other bills have not had hearings yet, although the broad RFRA bill passed the state House last year before it stalled in the Senate.

Snyder said he feels the same way about the bill dealing with religious freedom for medical professionals and hospitals, but that the adoption bills need some more review if they pass through the full Legislature.

Snyder said he believes Pence is a good governor and friend and had no intention of sanctioning any type of discrimination.

“This is an important issue from a neighboring state and given what’s going on in Indiana, I wanted to give greater clarity,” he said. “I believe in religious freedom but I strongly oppose discrimination of any kind.”